It is a common practice in the care of patients, particularly after a fracture of an arm bone of a patient, to position the patient's arm in a relatively fixed position during the healing. In such cases, it is normal to have the arm immobilized by use of a sling that is supported by the patient and which holds the arm in the desired position. The arm must be held securely by the sling, however, depending on the particular fracture, the arm may be retained in various positions, that is, the arm may be held in the sling with the wrist elevated above the elbow or, alternatively, the wrist may be in some other position, such as level with the elbow or even lower than the elbow.
The arm and associated cast are required to be immobilized for an extended period of time. A sling places excessive weight, for extended periods of time, from the dead weight of the arm and associated cast, on neck and shoulder muscles because of the strap of the sling is draped about the back of the neck. The shoulder and neck muscles are stressed, strained and impaired by the sling and weight of the arm. Often, the neck and shoulder require rehabilitation after the arm no longer requires a sling.
It would therefore be advantageous to have a sling that provides good adjustability and versatility in allowing the user or physician to place the arm in any of a wide variety of positions and yet retain the arm securely in that desired position while also eliminating stress and stain to the neck and shoulder muscles.